Geelong Cats’ recruit Bailey Smith signals new era for club
Are the Cats moving away from their squeaky clean family club reputation to become a place where troubled players get away from the bright lights to rehab their image?
Geelong
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Deep in the bowels of Marvel Stadium on Wednesday night, among a sea of list bosses and player managers, a new era dawned.
Joel Selwood is done, Tom Hawkins has cleared out his locker, and Patrick Dangerfield’s days, as great as they still are, are undoubtedly numbered.
The Bailey Smith era has begun for Geelong.
The much-maligned and equally adored mulleted man from Malvern, and arguably the most marketable player in the competition, ‘Bazlenka’ will now call Kardinia Park home.
In the club’s history, Cats players have largely lived and died by the phrase in their song: “We play the game as it should be played.”
Ruthless, disciplined, team-first — that is the Geelong way.
The club which has been known as a squeaky clean family club for over a decade adds Smith, who, rightly or wrongly, has been dubbed a “bad boy”.
So does the pair fit?
WHO IS BAZLENKA?
The seventh pick in the 2018 draft, Smith has played 103 games for the Western Bulldogs.
His on field peak came in the 2021 finals series, including a semi-final against the Brisbane Lions in which he was arguably the matchwinner.
Off the field, he is one of the most recognisable players in the game, with 347,000 Instagram followers, brand deals with some of the country’s biggest companies and a bold blonde mullet.
As the game’s most-followed player on Instagram, his brand is immense.
It’s clear he will market the Cats to new audiences and likely assist growth in membership numbers.
But there is a reason for the “bad boy” tag.
Smith found himself in hot water in 2022 when a video allegedly featuring him and a bag of white powder from the previous year surfaced on social media.
Smith owned up to the mistake and vowed to be better, and subsequently was banned for two games.
“After much reflection, I am now in a position to confess to indulging in behaviours in late 2021 of which I am deeply ashamed,” Smith said at the time.
“The depth of my emotions over that period, coupled with some of my behaviours, have reminded me that, as a person, I am still very much a work-in-progress.
“I have made mistakes. I am very aware of that, and I fully own it.”
Smith also copped another two game suspension in 2022 for headbutting recently retired Cat Zach Tuohy.
Ironically, Smith could adopt Tuohy’s number two jersey next year.
THE ON FIELD FIT
Smith’s on-field fit is undeniable.
He’s a talented line breaking midfielder who at his best can tear games apart.
At 23, he provides young star level talent that clubs are always screaming out for.
The Cats haven’t relied on the draft while building its young core, with Tanner Bruhn, Ollie Henry and Tyson Stengle all coming from other clubs.
The only real worry in this regard is the fact Smith hasn’t played in over a year after suffering an knee injury in last year’s pre-season.
But if Geelong is able to get Smith back on the park at 90 per cent the player he was before the injury, the deal struck on Wednesday night could quickly look like a bargain.
List manager Andrew Mackie secured Smith and pick 45 for picks 17 and 38 in this year’s draft.
Ex-vice president of the club and Kardinia Park historian Bob Gartland said the addition had him optimistic about the future.
“We were so close to winning a premiership this year,” Mr Gartland said.
“I think we certainly have a good blend of experienced, mature players who are ultimately going to be great mentors for a very talented group of young players.”
COTTONING ON
Smith’s intentions to get to Geelong have been the worst kept secret in football for the last year.
There were whispers in last year’s trade period that Smith wanted to get out of the Kennel, but it never eventuated.
Geelong emerged as favourites then, among other powerhouse Melbourne clubs.
Outside of the aforementioned on-field fit, a reason the Cats were earmarked as a potential Smith landing spot was his commercial connections with Australian retail giant Cotton On, headquartered in North Geelong.
Smith has his own clothing line with the business, and is clearly passionate about fashion.
It’s been reported this connection has raised a few eyebrows at league headquarters, especially considering Cotton On has been the Cats’ apparel provider since 2016.
Herald Sun journalist Scott Gullan said last month the AFL was going to “monitor this potential deal with a fine-tooth comb”.
Gullan referred to Chris Judd’s controversial deal with Visy after he joined Carlton in 2008.
Judd was paid by Visy, whose boss was the Blues president at the time, to be the face of the company.
This money was allowed to sit outside of the salary cap, a rule the AFL would change just four years later.
There’s nothing that suggests Smith’s deal isn’t all above board, and in response to Gullan’s comments, Fox Footy’s Jon Ralph dubbed it a “legitimate relationship”.
It’s worth noting that Collingwood’s Nick Daicos has a deal with Nike, which is the Magpies’ apparel provider.
TROUBLED BOYS’ HOME
The Cats are a consistently successful club — that’s why they back themselves to bring in players with a chequered past, and why they’re such a destination.
You only have to look at the success story that is Tyson Stengle, whose behaviour saw him booted from two clubs before he landed at the Cats, where he was named all-Australian and became a premiership player.
But it was Stengle who this year who was at the centre of what felt like a very un-Geelong-like story when he was found unresponsive at Bloom nightclub and rushed to hospital.
The club threw their arms around Stengle, with head coach Chris Scott stressing that the Cats didn’t come down hard on Stengle like an “authoritarian regime”.
The story quickly died down.
In recent weeks, Tanner Bruhn was interviewed by police regarding his knowledge of an alleged sexual assault in Belmont.
AFL spokesman Jay Allen said the AFL was aware of the matter.
“As it is a Victoria Police investigation, we are not in a position to make any further comment at this time,” he said.
During trade period, rumours swirled around a potential deal for embattled Melbourne superstar Clayton Oliver following a reported trip to ruckman Rhys Stanley’s farm.
Mr Gartland said the club’s strong culture held it in good stead to recruit players like Oliver and Smith.
“If you take a player and immerse them in that kind of environment, then I’m sure they’re going to be positively influenced,” Mr Gartland said.
“We’ve had players come to Geelong who we have helped not just become better footballers, but I think we have helped them become better people.
“I think that demonstrates the worth of a football club that puts individuals to one side and considers team values as the number one.”
BAD BOYS OF THE PAST
Smith isn’t the club’s first “bad boy.”
Cats fans were happy to laud Gary Ablett Snr throughout the 80s and 90s, despite his off-field controversies.
Mr Gartland said Mark “Jacko” Jackson was another in the same period.
“Jackson was one of the most talented footballers I’ve ever seen,” Mr Gartland said.
“But he certainly had another side to him, it was very entertaining, you were always on the edge of your seat hoping he’d keep himself nice.”
Teams packed with bad boys have had success in the past, such as the 2010 Collingwood premiership side built around the infamous rat pack of Dane Swan, Alan Didak, Ben Johnson and Heath Shaw.
Dustin Martin has long held the “bad boy” tag, but it would be difficult to argue that it posed any sort of issue to the dynastical Richmond side he was a part of.
But it isn’t Cats’ way historically.
“There’s been different players that have had the reputation for being hard at the ball,” Mr Gartland said.
“But dirty footballers, I can’t remember any in my time.”
WELCOME TO THE BAILEY SMITH ERA
Love him or loathe him, he’s here.
There will need to be concessions on both sides: Smith will have to play his role, and subscribe to the club’s culture, while Geelong, the town and the club, will have to accept and celebrate Smith.
It’s an exciting time to be a Cats fan — Smith no doubt improves the list following a heartbreaking preliminary final loss.
Time will tell if the Bailey Smith era will be one of flags, or of controversy.
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